Buyers, sellers react to end of online ammo sales

Wednesday

Jan 15, 2014 at 9:00 AM

By Melody Burrimelody@messengerpostmedia.com

CANANDAIGUA — Starting today in New York, consumers may no longer buy ammunition unless they're face to face with a licensed dealer.The requirement for in-person bullet sales is part of the law pushed through a year ago by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one month after the massacre of 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Conn.The legislation, put into effect incrementally since Jan. 15, 2013, bans the sales of some popular semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity magazines, requires federal background checks on private gun sales, and imposes felony penalties for illegal gun possession. It has also drawn crowds of protesters to the Capitol and has prompted lawsuits saying it infringes on Second Amendment rights.The most recent regulatory change forbids Internet sales to individuals and requires a face-to-face transaction between buyer and New York-licensed seller. Federal Judge William Skretny upheld that provision in a ruling two weeks ago — a decision which is now being appealed.Canandaigua resident David Hudson, a recreational shooter and a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation hunter safety instructor, is one of many who are frustrated with the ban.“I often buy specialized ammunition, and to buy that in a gun store tends to be very expensive,” he said. “I understand the store needs to make a profit. But now when my supply runs out I’m going to have to make a choice — do I want to pay the extra price at a gun store, or drive 50 or 60 miles to go across the border into Pennsylvania?”He doesn’t know if he’ll find a better price out of state, but is sure the process will take extra time and extra money, and will pare back his time on the shooting range in the future.Organizations like shooting ranges and hunting clubs that distribute ammunition on their premises can register to keep getting direct shipments. Middlesex Conservation Club is one such organization. According to state police, the law will require retailers to record bullet sales and do background checks on buyers once a state database is operating. This requirement is intended to keep bullets away from convicted felons, the mentally ill and others prohibited under state or federal law from having them.Skretny ruled in late December that the face-to-face requirement for ammunition sales doesn’t violate the Constitution’s Commerce Clause or create a monopoly for New York dealers since out-of-state dealers can also establish brick-and-mortar outlets here.But according to local dealers like Keith Green, owner of Top Notch Firearms Sales in Canandaigua, the new requirement is bad news for the consumer. Now folks will be forced to buy ammunition from local sources, he said. Competition has been eliminated, so the prices are higher.“I don’t make a living out of ammunition, because it’s hard to compete with a Walmart or a Dick’s or a Bass Pro Shop,” said Green, who typically stocks ammunition that’s “harder to get.”“I don’t know how that makes it any safer for us,” Green said. “A local establishment has thousands of rounds that people come in and buy. It’s no different than if people buy thousands and thousands online. It’s just more of a hassle for the consumer.”State Sen. Greg Ball, a Hudson Valley Republican, said Tuesday he knows the law is unconstitutional and he hopes law enforcement waits on enforcing the ammunition provision for a final court decision.“It really is an asinine portion of the bill,” Ball said, adding that it shows a lack of appreciation for both police and hunters, does nothing to save lives and creates an issue with gun clubs having to register.“I question what this whole registration for the sale of ammunition is going to prove,” said Green. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”— Includes reporting by Associated Press writer Michael Virtanen